Common Insect Pests

Asian Lady Beetles

Asian
lady beetles, harmonia axyridis, are a nuisance to homeowners. They
invade homes and buildings during the fall. Infestations may be very large and
quite annoying.

This pest is about 1/4" long and 3/16" wide and come in a variety of colors
from bright orange or a pale-yellow orange. They usually have spots on their
wings. Occasionally you may run across a lady beetle that has not spots at all.

Introduced by the USDA to the US in 1916 and then again in 1964-1965 the
Asian Lady Beetle control aphids. They are found through out the country. In
more recent years they have become more prevalent in the north east.

During the fall the Asian Lady Beetle seeks a warm place to over winter.
Usually they seek light rock cliff areas and homes located near open fields.
Cracks and gaps in windows and doorways make an easy entry for these insects.
You may encounter them clustered around windows and doors and ceilings. Do not
crush this insect as it will stain surfaces. Your first line of control is
repair any gaps, cracks and crevices around doors and windows. The use of
pesticides is not recommended. Use a vacuum or sweep up the insect(s) and
dispose of them or release them outdoors.

Lady beetles do not bite or sting and are not disease carrying. In the spring
they will emerge and return to the great outdoors.

Bed Bugs

This
is a pest you rarely hear about anymore, but they are still out there and have
seen a resurgence since the early 1990's. This nuisance pest attacks humans and
animals. Bed bugs suck blood but do not transmit disease or damage property. Bed
bugs have become more prevalent in homeless shelters and among the migrant
worker community. Bed bugs can thrive where overcrowded living conditions and
sanitation are less the ideal.

IDENTIFICATION & BEHAVIOR

Bed bugs are approximately 3/16 inch long and adults are oval and flat with
dark red or mahogany coloring. After filling themselves with blood they will
grow in size and take on more of a red coloring.

The bed bugs body appears shiny. Their sucking mouthparts pierce the skin and
suck the blood of the host. If you are sensitive to the bite you may experience
itching and/or swelling in the area of the bite.

The female usually lays between 200 and too eggs in her lifetime. The eggs
are deposited in cracks and crevices near their nest or the hosts sleeping area.
The eggs hatch in about a week and will mature in four to nine weeks. Bed bugs
can survive up to a year without food.

This pest has been known to hide in cracks, crevices and folds of mattresses
and upholstered furniture as well as carpeting, cracks in floors and even behind
electrical switch plates. Several other possible nesting areas are the folds of
drapes and the motor compartment of refrigerators.

CONTROL

Your PMP can apply a residual product in the cracks and crevices of suspected
nesting areas, including behind baseboards. It is recommended you vacuum
suspected areas of infestation prior to treatment. If you have a current
infestation, check areas carefully for any additional harborage.

Wasps and Hornets

Typically
wasps are a beneficial insect because they feed on other insects. Unfortunately
for wasps, they have a habit of building nests in areas where we do not want
them. Ask anyone who has been stung by a wasp. Hornets, however, usually build
their nests high in trees, but occasionally invade our space.

CHARACTERISTICS

Some species are solitary and do not form colony groups. Other wasps are
called social wasps and live in colonies with a queen, sterile female workers
and drones (males). Social wasps include, yellow jackets, hornets and paper
wasps. If you are going to be stung, these are the ones to look out for.
Stinging is a defensive action and occurs when a colony or individual feels
threatened.

A queen who survives the winter (over winter) and emerges in the spring will
begin a new colony. She will lay about 10-20 eggs, each being placed in a cell
in her nest. Theses cells are similar to what you would find in a bee hive. She
will search for food and water until the first sterile females of her new nest
emerge. These sterile females will then take over the task of building the nest
and taking care of the brood. The queen's primary responsibility is egg laying.

By summers end the typical nest may have several combs along with thousands
of cells and workers. During the late summer and early fall fertile females and
males are produced. The new queens will over winter, while the males die off
after mating.

Wasps feed their young on animal protein which includes other insects and
spiders. They scavenge for food and love family cookouts and picnic settings.
They love hamburger and other meats we humans enjoy. The adults will also feed
on sodas, beer and fruit juices. Yes, wasps have a sweet tooth, more or less.

You are more likely to be stung by yellow jackets in August and September,
which is toward the end of their life cycle. Just remember that social wasps are
very protective of their nests and will defend it against any potential invader.

CONTROL

Stay away! Seriously, wasps inject a venom and protein material when they
sting. Unlike bees they are capable of multiple stings. Most people will have
pain and swelling at the sight of the sting, but some people my have severe
allergic reactions requiring emergency medical treatment. Wasps stings account
for approximately 40 deaths in the US annually.

If you plan to take wasps on by yourself the best time to attack the nest is
a night. Most of the colony will be in the nest and they are typically less
aggressive. Locate the nest during day light hours and avoid using light to
located the nest at night. Guards at the entrance may be attracted to the light
and attack. Where protective clothing, including a long sleeve shirt and leather
work type gloves warn in side the sleeve, trousers that are bloused inside your
socks and a bee bonnet isn't a bad idea either. And don't forget to wear
protective eye wear. Make sure others are kept away from the area and move
slowly. If you panic, you may cause the nest to panic as well. If you have to
flee, run in a straight line as fast as you can. DO NOT ZIG ZAG! Zig zagging
only makes it easier for you pursuer to catch up to you.

There are a variety of "Wasp Freeze" products available that you may
purchase. Follow the label directions for use and personal safety. Be sure to
read the label. Some products may damage painted surfaces and siding.

Ticks

Few
people go through life without running into a tick. There are over 850 species
throughout the world. Most people encounter ticks in the woods and in high
grassy areas. Ticks may also be found in warm dry places such as livestock
shelters or storage buildings.

Ticks, of all blood-sucking arthropods, have the widest variety of pathogens,
including rickets, bacteria, protozoa and viruses. The most talked about of
these, in recent memory, is Lyme disease, which was first discovered in Lyme,
Connecticut. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the other disease most frequently
associated with ticks.

IDENTIFICATION
An adult brown dog tick ranges from 1/8" long to 1/2" when engorged with blood.
This tick is reddish brown in color, but when fully engorged takes on a
grey-blue or olive hue. Dog ticks prefer dogs, where it derives its name, from
the outdoors. The dog tick will attach itself behind a dogs ears and/or between
a dogs toes. The deer tick which carries Lyme disease if found in the Midwestern
and northeastern U.S. Deer ticks are about the same size as the brown dog tick,
but are orange-brown in color with dark reddish-brown legs.

CONTROL

Your PCO can perform what is commonly referred to as "power spray" of your yard,
concentrating on areas that may back up to wooded areas or open fields and high
grasses. Most products available to your PCO will typically control, in addition
to ticks, approximately 60 other pests.

Wear light colored clothing. Light colors make it easier to see ticks.

Use a repellent such as Teet. Apply to pants, socks and shoes.

Try to stay in the middle of established trails when hiking or walking.

Wash all clothing after being in areas suspected of being tick infested.

SYMPTOMS FROM TICK BITES

Muscle and joint aches

Headache

Rash: Rash start from a small red spot and expands over a several days
to weeks, forming a circular, triangular or oval shape. Some rashes may look
like a bull's-eye.

Stiff neck for no apparent reason

Fever

Facial paralysis

Brief periods of joint swelling and pain

Centipedes and Millipedes

Centipedes
are usually referred to as "thousand leggers". Truth be known it is the
millipede that is actually the "thousand legger". In either case, these are
outdoor pests that find there way into our homes and businesses. They take
refuge in areas where it is damp and moist.

IDENTIFICATION & BEHAVIOR

Centipedes typically live outside in damp areas, under rocks, leaves, mulch and
landsacpe timbers. The centipede is brownish with a flat and elongated body.
They have a pair of legs attached to almost every body segment. The number of
legs will depend upon the length and therefore body segments. Usually 1 to 6
inches, in the Southeast and Southwest may grow to 8 inches.

Millipedes also like to live outdoors in damp areas. Millipedes are very slow
moving and if you watch them carefully enough you can easily see them moving.
This pest has a round brown body with 2 pairs of legs to each body segment and
range from 1" to 1 1/2" long. Oh yes, they do crunch when stepped on.

Chances are you will find centipedes in bath rooms, damp closets and
basements. They eat other insects and are quite beneficial. They enjoy spiders
in their diet. Centipedes can sting and their sting is comparable to that of a
wasp.

Originally from Mexico, centipedes are found throughout the U.S. The house
centipede has weak jaws and have difficulty biting through human skin, unlike
their brethren discussed above.

Millipedes, on the other hand, product a foul smelling odor through glands in
their body. Their food of choice is decaying vegetation and you will find them
in damp areas including roots and green leaves. This pest becomes most prevalent
during the Fall. You may find them crawling exterior walls and basement/cellar
walls by the hundreds. Because of their size they find easy access to structures
through cracks and crevices and around window and door frames. It is thought
that millipedes attack buildings in an effort to find a suitable living area to
overwinter.

Sometimes, exterior lighting on light colored buildings may attract
millipedes. We have seen cases locally where thousands have crossed roads or
streets during the night only to be found scaling the walls of the building
where the lights are attached.

CONTROL

There are non chemical measures you can take to control centipedes and
millipedes. If you stack wood near the foundation move it to a location away
from the building. Keep your lawn dethatched, mowed and trimmed. Remove
clippings if necessary. If you water your lawn, do it in the morning, this will
help the grass dry through the day.

Look for cracks and crevices in foundation walls. Seal them to eliminate
entry.

Your PMP can apply a residual product in the cracks and crevices of suspected
nesting areas, including damp floors in garages and basements, plus ceiling
joists and accessible crawl spaces. Bathrooms and laundry areas are ideal for
application to control these pests.

If you have a current infestation, check areas carefully for any additional
harborage.